The Start of Something New
by learossignol
Summary: A one-shot about Donna's feelings regarding leaving New York. Post 9X10


***For the full effect, listen to the song "Le nouveau départ" by Alexandra Streliski while reading this fic**.*

The Start of Something News

It was all bittersweet, really. She didn't know if she could leave the life she had built over the last 18 years. She would need to leave her firm, her friends, her newly born goddaughter for the unknown in Seattle. But, she also knew her priorities had changed over the last 6 months or so. A new adventure was ahead, with her best friends by her side and the love of her life, her husband Harvey. Donna smiled at that thought. So many new wonderful adventures were ahead, she simply had to be brave. Being brave was her specialty.

As she walked out Litt Wheeler Williams Bennett for the last time, Louis by her side, all she could do was smile at all the amazing moments she had experienced over the last decade or so at this place. It was a hard feeling to describe, it felt like all the good, the bad, and the ugly hit her all at once. The one thing she could take away from it was that it led her to this moment; the start of something new.

Donna said her goodbyes to her good friend, promising him that they would pass by before they left 2 days later. She also told him they would come to visit when they were all settled in Seattle. She got in the car as Ray started driving while some piano music was playing in the background. It felt surreal like she couldn't quite grasp this move yet.

Harvey arrived home an hour after she did. He arrived while she was sipping some wine, texting Rachel, and checking out houses in Seattle. His arrival home brought her comfort like it was finally their life and the firm wasn't the number one priority.

That night, they talked about anything and everything, from the houses on the market in Seattle to what they thought would be the name of the lady at the front desk at Harvey's new clinic.

That's right Harvey's clinic, not Donna's. Donna had been offered a job at the Zane Ross clinic in Seattle but turned it down. It felt right, with this big move, to seek new horizons in the job department. Perhaps she would use her bachelor's in theatre, but maybe not. She would take any opportunity that felt right that she could get because she knew last time she did that with her career, it turned out to be one of the best decisions she made in her life. She hadn't quite figured out what she wanted to do with her career, but was in no rush, because not only did Harvey have a job, but they were also enough financially stable to only have one of them work. Of course, she didn't want to exclusively stay at home, but perhaps she would consider the idea of working part-time to give herself a chance to enjoy, not only the new city but activities she didn't have the time to do when she was working 60 hour weeks as a COO. That was her plan for now, but only time would tell what she would end up doing with her life.

She went to bed that night Harvey by her side, with a grateful heart for all those years she had served at the firm. She would never forget the remarkable friendships she had forged over the years, we're talking Louis, Samantha, Alex, and Katrina, who she was leaving behind, but was determined to keep in her life forever. Let's not forget the friendships she would forge in this new city. It was a new experience that came with new opportunities. She fell asleep, while wrapped tightly around Harvey, knowing tomorrow would be an emotional day for both of them.

The next morning, both were up bright and early because it was their last day in New York and they had a lot to accomplish. Firstly, they had to go finish packing Donna's apartment, because the movers would arrive soon, and the new owners were taking possession 3 days later. Then they had to meet up with their renters, who were renting Harvey's apartment, to sign papers. After, they had to pack their suitcases to sustain them for the next 2 weeks before the movers arrived at their new house in Seattle. Finally, they would stop by Alex, Katrina and Samantha's homes before heading to eat dinner at Louis'.The new father had insisted they stop by for dinner because he wanted to cook them a goodbye meal his mother used to cook for him all the time. Both Donna and Harvey had hesitated because they knew he just had a baby, Sheila had barely been home for 24 hours, but knowing both new parents insisted they came, made Donna especially at peace with the decision to accept the invitation.

6:30 PM came around, Harvey and Donna were both exhausted from the long day they had, but were overjoyed they had been able to see their friends before they left and were especially excited to see what their dinner with Louis reserved. They left Harvey's apartment, arm in arm, Donna was wearing a simple back lace royal blue cocktail dress, while Harvey was wearing a blueish gray button-up shirt with beige pants. Arriving at Louis', Donna insisted on taking Lucy so Sheila could go rest before dinner. After a while, she went on to help Louis with dinner, as Harvey held the baby. The three of them were around Louis' kitchen island. The host was rambling on about the incompetence of an intern they had met at the hospital. Donna wasn't particularly listening, distracted by the beautiful moment unfolding in front of her eyes, her husband holding a sleeping newborn baby. The fact that the infant had cuddled up to his chest and had fallen asleep on him the moment she was put in his arms had brought him a feeling of satisfaction he had never felt before. Who knows, maybe a child was something part of their future together.

The couple hadn't really talked about it, because it was simply not a subject that had flown with the rest of their conversations. But seeing their goddaughter being born had filled both their hearths with an inexplicable feeling, so one of them would have to introduce the topic eventually. Tonight wasn't the night, because it was a night reserved for spending quality time with their beloved friend before they left for a foreign city.

Dinner went relatively smoothly. Surprisingly, Louis wasn't so uptight about everything, the baby fussed a little but didn't cry once, and well, Sheila was only there for the dinner portion of the night, taking full advantage of having other people in the house gushing over baby Lucy to catch up on some sleep. The Paulsen-Specters left the Litt household at around 10:30 PM, Donna had a teary eye having to say goodbye to her friend and his child, and Harvey wasn't very far behind her.

They arrived home by 11 PM, both exhausted by their day, they decided to go to bed knowing tomorrow would be yet another long exhausting day. It would be the start of their new life together, the start of something new.

**Fin. **


End file.
